With You I'm Born Again
by flashpenguin
Summary: Set after "Dead Reckoning", Reese is home and thankful to be alive. While counting his blessings, Joss stops in to check on him and get the answer to the question she asked at the railing. Funny, Reese wants answers, too! But when Reese answers the door in nothing but a towel, will they get what they want? Or will what they want be more than they expected?


_Well, this came to me last week, but with work and working out and just life in general, I pushed it aside. Then I read on the CaReese FB page that one of the members was wanting to read some John & Joss loving. It took a while to find the song to convey what the characters were telling me, but I think I nailed it with just the right amount of sass, humour, and loving._

_Dedicated to Nicole and all the ladies who love CaReese as much as I do!_

_Song prompt: "With You I'm Born Again" by Billy Preston & Syreeta_

_I don't own Person of Interest nor the characters. I do, however, own the ability to go against Nolan and write as many happy endings for this pairing as I can!_

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**With You I'm Born Again**

He had spent nearly a week in an 8 X 12 cell, injured in a car crash, injected, beat up, a bomb strapped to his chest, and he had looked Death straight in the eye. And he survived it all. Now all he wanted was a shower and sleep. At least that was the thought process John Reese was having as he inserted the key into the lock of his loft.

Home. God, was there ever a better sounding word, he wondered and closed the door soundly. Walking to the bedroom, he kicked off his shoes and began to undress. Tossing the suit to the far corner of the room, he made a mental note to take it down to the incinerator later. First, he needed to shower and feel alive.

Standing under the hot water, he closed his eyes and felt himself relax. Oh, was there ever a better feeling than water rolling over the skin, he wondered. Rinsing his hair, he paused. Was that a knock?

Turning off the water, he grabbed the towel off the rack and wrapped it around his hips. Quickly he hurried across the loft to the front door, leaving droplets of water in his wake.

Turning the locks, he slowly opened the door. "Joss," he greeted, his tone pleasantly surprised by his unexpected guest. Yet, he was curious about the detective showing up on his doorstep late at night.

"Is this a bad time?" Joss asked. She glanced at Reese's half-naked body dripping wet.

"No. Come in." He stepped aside to allow her entrance. He waited for her to cross the threshold before closing the door and setting the locks.

Joss looked around at the tastefully decorated loft with an inquisitive eye. "Nice place," she remarked.

"It was birthday present."

"I wish I had a friend like that."

"Actually, it was Harold." Reese ran his hand thru his hair. "Mind if I ask what brings you here?"

"I wanted to see if you were alright," Joss replied lightly, or tried to. The memory of seeing the bomb strapped to Reese's chest and the look of acceptance in his eyes had been haunting her. She had needed to make sure that he was okay.

"Still alive and ticking." Reese's blue eyes danced with mischief.

Joss's eyes narrowed. "Not funny."

"I'm sure you can see for yourself that I'm still here."

The moment dawned on Joss as she realized that the Man in The Suit was standing in front of her in nothing but a towel – a towel that was wrapped around his narrow hips. She swallowed hard and tried to avert her eyes.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"That's funny; I wanted to ask you something too." Reese took a step forward. He was close enough to reach out and touch her. But he didn't. He wanted to see her reaction. "What do you want to know?"

Joss took a deep breath, then steeled herself. "What you said during the interrogation, was any of it true?"

"Yes."

"All of it?"

"Except for the part where I changed the names to protect the innocent," he gave a wry smile, "I would say yes." He took another step. He could feel her tremble.

"You could have lied."

"I didn't want to. I wanted you to know me – the real me. That man you've been chasing no longer exists." He cupped her cheek. "What you see before you is who I've become."

"And who is that?" she choked out. Her throat was tight with emotion and her heart was pounding furiously. She tried to moisten her suddenly dry lips.

"The man you see before you. You said it in Donnelly's car, remember?" He stroked her soft cheek with the pad of his thumb and relished in the way her eyes darkened with passion. "I'm a good man; I help people."

"You are," she breathed. "You do." She was trying to remember to breathe, but it was getting more difficult with each passing second. Her eyes flickered downward. Had the towel moved or was that her imagination?

"What did you want to ask me?" she wondered.

"What Donnelly said about you giving away the truth, was that true?" Reese asked and held his breath. He almost didn't want to believe that she had feelings for him. But he had seen the look of fear in her eyes when she grabbed his arm in the hallway. There was no mistaking the tears that pooled in her eyes as she begged him not to give up. She cared…cared enough to be willing to sacrifice herself to save him.

"It was true," she admitted. Her breasts heaved from the effort it was taking not to reach out and rip the towel off and throw him to the floor.

"And when you wanted to help me in the hallway…?" he mused.

"Yes. But you sent me away."

Her skin was so soft, her lips so inviting. All he had to do was lower his head and taste them.

"I had to, Joss. I couldn't let you die for me." Just the thought of Joss making the ultimate sacrifice on his behalf sent a jolt thru him. Did he dare to believe that she cared?

"I wanted to help."

"Even if it meant losing your life?"

Her brown eyes blazed with a mixture of anger and sadness. "I was taught to never leave a man behind."

"You didn't. You finding me was enough to give me peace. I didn't want you to go, but I couldn't make you stay."

"Is that why you ordered Fusco to drag me away? What if I had refused?"

"I would have kissed you senseless and then made my way to the roof to die a happy man," he replied.

"Oh, yeah?" she challenged. "What makes you so sure it would have worked?"

One more step. He could smell her perfume and feel the heat from her body. His body hardened from want and need.

His voice was low, "Because you want me, Joss. I see it in your eyes. I saw the look you gave me at Rikers; you can't deny it."

"I can try."

"You could," he agreed, "but that would be lying. And if I remember, your moral compass won't let you lie." He lowered his head slowly. If she was going to draw away, now would be the time, he reasoned.

"I hate you sometimes."

"And others?" His other hand pushed a lock of hair behind Joss's ear. Dipping his head, he brushed his lips over her cheek. He heard her draw in a sharp breath.

"I still want to put handcuffs on you and put you in the back of my squad car," she retorted trying to keep focused on her train of thought and not the way he was driving her crazy.

"I like handcuffs," he murmured and nipped her earlobe. "Will you read me my rights, Detective?" His hand slid down the length of her torso to cup her ass and pull her sharply against him. "Will you promise hold anything I say and do against me?"

"I will lock you up and throw away the key," her words muffled as she pressed her face into the crook of his neck. She arched against him and felt his desire press against her belly. He wanted her. She weaved her fingers into his hair.

"I look forward to it." He claimed her mouth for a hot kiss that had been building up since the moment he had laid eyes on her in the holding room. Coaxing her mouth open, he deepened the kiss and felt his body harden as she moaned low in her throat. He wanted her. Badly.

Moving his hand down, he blindly fumbled with the buttons on her blouse. Groaning in frustration, he pulled the fabric and heard the buttons pop off.

"John…" Joss protested against his mouth.

"I'll get you a new one," he promised. "I need you, Joss. Can you feel it?" He took her hand and pressed it to his heart. She nodded. "Love me, Joss. Make me feel alive again."

Not waiting for an answer, he swung her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Laying her on the bed, he slowly undressed her. Inch by inch he stripped her of the barrier that was keeping him from loving her. Tossing the clothing to the floor, he looked down at her body illuminated by moonlight.

"God, Joss, you're beautiful," he breathed in amazement.

"My turn," she replied and yanked on the towel before Reese had a chance to protest. Her breath caught in her chest at the glory of his body. "I think you're the one who is beautiful," she swallowed. Her eyes flicked down. She felt her cheeks grow hot as she took his hand and pulled him to her.

Hesitantly her hand encased his hardened length. She heard him suck in a breath, and that propelled her to become bolder with each stroke. She kissed the mushroomed tip and along the length to the base. She breathed in his musky scent mixed with the body wash. She felt herself grow hot. As he thrust forward, she swallowed him whole.

"Stop. Oh, God, Joss," he pleaded helplessly, his hands fisted tightly in her hair, "this isn't going to end well, sweetheart." He tried to focus on anything other than what her hot mouth was doing to help drive him to brink of insanity and beyond. The bomb strapped to his chest had nothing on the way she was decimating him. She was an angel and devil all wrapped up in one.

"What do you have in mind?" she challenged wantonly and released him.

Kneeling on the bed, Reese drank in every inch of Joss. He loved her. The realization hit him hard as he cupped Joss's breast and kneaded it until the nipple hardened. Dipping his head, he took the rosy peak in his mouth and loved it. Slowly his left hand snaked down until it found the apex between her thighs.

"Oh," she sighed as Reese manipulated the nub of her womanhood. As his finger matched the rhythm of his tongue, she felt the tiny sensation building in her stomach grow bigger. Arching upward, she tried to give him more access.

"That's it," he coaxed and increased the tempo. He heard her cry his name as her body arched and bucked beneath him. She was so close, but he wanted to make it last. She deserved to be loved all night.

"John," she cried as the orgasm took hold. She tried to fight it, but the moment his fingers entered her, she was a goner. Giving in, she cried out his name in completion.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" he asked as Joss's breathing slowly returned to normal.

"You surprised me." And he had in more ways than she could count. And she wanted to discover everything about him – every deep dark secret he never told anyone. She wanted to see his every mood.

"I have more surprises," he promised and covered her body with his. Probing her gently, he waited for her to relax and adjust to him. He heard her sharp breath and stopped. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. She kissed him. "Don't stop."

Reese felt the sweat break out on his forehead as he filled her inch by inch until he was encased in her warm velvet glove. Buried deep, he took a shuddered breath and let it out. He had dreamt how it would be to make love to Joss, but nothing could prepare him for the moment he became one with her. His eyes locked with hers.

"Are _you_ alright?" she teased and pushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead.

"I'll live." He kissed her fast and hard. Slow at first, he set the tempo and waited for her catch up. But she was ahead of him. Throwing her legs over his, Joss took the moment and used it to her advantage to flip her lover on his back. Dipping her head, she encircled one of Reese's nipples with tongue, then nibbled gently.

Caught by surprise by the moment, Reese's eyes rolled upward as his nails dug into the sheets. His world spun around at a dizzying speed. "Joss, what are you –?"

She cut him off by rotating her hips. All talk ceased as she rose over him and drove him to the point of no return. Arching upward, Reese took a nipple in his mouth and suckled greedily. Her moans of ecstasy only fueled his desire to bring her to orgasm. His thumb touched her and immediately she undulated against him.

"John…" Her body begged for completion. She pushed against him, but she was trapped. He filled her. He was touching her. He was making love to her in a way no man ever had, and she was losing her mind.

"That's it," he encouraged and continued to manipulate her. "Come for me, Joss."

The coil inside tightened smaller and smaller. She couldn't breathe. She could barely think. Her body was on fire or it was going to explode. It was too much. She tried to say it out loud, but the words wouldn't form. Instead, she braced her hands on his chest and rode him.

Reese felt as though he had released a wildcat. He thrust his hips as he rose to meet her. In perfect harmony their bodies joined as they started toward the precipice. He could feel the way her body tensed and released that she was holding back. Oh God, if only she knew how it was killing him, he thought.

Flicking his fingertips against her swollen nub, he pushed her until she cried out his name and arched against him. Her body constricted around him and held tight until he joined her.

"Joss!" He thrust deep and emptied himself into her. Shuddering to completion, eyes closed, he swore his body had melted. Stroking her hair, Reese tried to remember to breathe.

"Are you alive?" Joss whispered against Reese's chest. She swore her heart was beating out of her chest, but she had never felt so good.

"I'm glad the bomb didn't get me," Reese replied, "because if it had, I wouldn't have the pleasure of dying in your arms."

Joss pushed herself up to look at him. "Not even funny." Her eyes narrowed to glare at him.

"Sweetheart, even if that happened, I would be reborn just by having your arms around me." Reese pushed the hair from her face and kissed her. "I didn't know you had it in you; you were wild."

"I had help. Who knew that you were hiding this under that suit of yours?" She raised her eyebrow and gave him a sly smile.

"All you had to do was catch me sooner and you could have found out," he smiled.

"I still have half a mind to slap the cuffs on you and drag you down to the 8th."

"On which charge would you book me?" His hands stroked her back. Still inside of her, he felt his loins slowly stir back to life. He could get used to this.

"I'll think of something," she retorted. Her eyes closed as Reese cupped her buttocks and gently thrust into her. "John…"

"How long is Taylor going to be away?" he asked.

"Um…for the rest of the weekend," she replied. "What about you and the bad guys?" Her body was wet with anticipation.

"Finch is letting me take the time to recuperate."

"I guess you could consider this part of your physical therapy," she teased.

"Why, Detective Carter, I didn't know you were a doctor on the side." His blue eyes darkened with passion.

"Like you, I have _many _talents that haven't been discovered." Her body clenched as he teased her. Suddenly she yelped as Reese flipped her on back.

"We have all weekend to rectify that."

Joss reached up and pulled his head down to hers. "Yes, we do," she said and kissed him to cut off any further conversation and let the exploring begin.

Together they found that X definitely marked the spot…again and again and again!

The End.


End file.
